TXCiclista

I've been training hard for the Hotter'n Hell 100 this summer and my longest ride was 90 miles 3 weeks ago. Since then, however, I've had to taper off quite a bit because school started back (I teach) and the stress from that change had me pretty much wiped for the past 3 weeks. I've only gotten 3 rides in (basically Sundays), and none have been more than 35 mi. My ride this past Sunday, however, was pretty strong and I was able to keep up a higher AVS than usual, even if I was a bit more tired at the end. I'm not particularly concerned that I can't finish the century (and I'm not racer, so I don't have those worries either), but I'm a little concerned that I may have "lost" something in the past 3 weeks that I won't realize until it's too late (especially as an older guy). So, with the Hotter'n Hell looking to be hotter'n hell this weekend, is there anything I should be 'cautious' of (aside from the obvious hydration and fueling)?

redlude97

usually top end and above threshold efforts fall off the fastest, but aerobic capacity stays for ~6weeks. Should be fine just try to hold back in the hills a bit. FWIW my first century of the year this year I hadnt done more than 65 miles, a century isn't that hard if you aren't a new cyclist

Reeses

seypat

The main thing you need to worry about is hydration and the sun. No need to worry about hills. Overpasses will be the biggest hill you will face. Also, if you are planning on doing the 100 route, check with race officials about what time Hell's Gate will close tomorrow. You have to get to Hell's Gate before it closes or you will be directed to a shorter route. If it gets really hot early, they will move up the closing time for Hell's Gate. Hell's Gate is at mile 61. The last 25ish miles you will be going against a south wind in the 15-20mph range. Find some riding buddies for conversation. Not much to look at on the route. The scenery there is pretty bland.

https://www.hh100.org/maps/

Abe_Froman

From what I've read, you might not even be worse off than if you'd trained right up to the race. Being fresher very well may cancel out, or at least significantly mitigate, 3 weeks off the bike. But you haven't been completely off the bike anyway. The short version - don't worry about it, you'll be fine

sdmc530

You got this.....I think if you don't go all out you will cruise through it. You know your body and know your limits so like its been stated, HIT IT!

I had a two week vacation last month and was too afraid of dropping some endurance. I have a ride in 3 weeks. Started riding right after vacation and it was all good. You might even find it feels really good having the time off. You probably will surprise yourself, I did.

Hit it!

noodle soup

+1

Don't go out too hard, and you'll be fine.

wheelreason

Too late to do anything about it training wise, or worry about it. The worst thing you can do is try to get in a challenging training ride and not recover in time. Resist the urge to start out to quick, and pay attention to hydration and eating. Like you said, It's not a race. You'll be fine.

caloso

Sit in, stay out of the wind, eat and drink adequately. I bet you'll be fine.

OldTryGuy

ENJOY THE RIDE if it's not a race and everything will be fine.

GrainBrain

You'll probably feel it in the legs a little, early on after you've been on the bike for about two hours. Don't worry, just click it down a gear and up your cadence. Your legs will come out of it and you'll be fully warmed up

Get off and stretch a little around mile 60.

Champlaincycler

And get back with a report for us.

69chevy

Abe_Froman

Oh I forgot to mention....a man with an avatar pic such as the OPs should be able to do pretty much anything. Check out The IT Crowd anyone who hasn't yet seen it. Hysterical.

TXCiclista

canklecat

Hey, @TXCiclista, how'd you do? Several friends were at HHH this weekend and all but one finished -- she fell and sprained her wrist, but did 45 miles. Most of them didn't really train for the metric and full centuries but they all did well. Everyone said the same thing -- it was hotter and windier than last year's HHH.

Nachoman

I agree with this advice. I like to go easy for the first half, or even the first two thirds, and then if I'm feeling strong, hammer home.

TXCiclista

Alas, I didn't finish. There were a whole bunch of things involved, but it basically boiled down to two pretty serious issues. (1) My Wahoo ELEMNT auto-calculated the HR zones wrong. I found a new max a few weeks ago and bumped it up, but the ELEMNT (PSA here!) considers Zone 5 to only be 100%, and calculated all other zones accordingly. As a result, I spent 2.5h in Zone 4, thinking I was in Zone 3 the whole time. While any other day, that might be a good sign of my fitness, 100 miles in 100-degree weather with @*&# wind was not the day. (2) a pretty serious pain cropped up in my lower right hind end around Hell's Gate. I'm old enough (and diabetic enough) to not be too keen on pushing through pain like that, so I decided to just call it a day at 70 miles.

Looking back, however, aside from the disappointment that comes from not hitting my goal, I actually count the weekend as a success. Given my HR graph for the ride, I actually had one of my strongest rides since I started back to riding (16.7mph over the 70 miles, with only about 15-20 of that benefiting from a tailwind), and just being there was an experience in and of itself (the crits were lots of fun). I got over some off my apprehension about going to an event that "serious," and I have a new-found respect for the 'ordeal' that is the HHH. I ended a bit humbled, but with a good training motivator for the next 364 days. I also know I could have finished if I'd had the correct HR zones for pacing myself and if I hadn't had the butt pain. On the other hand, I got Good Husband Points from my wife for listening to my body rather than taking risks, and those are always good to have.

So anyway, perhaps more than you wanted to hear, but it's been an interesting-enough 24 hours that I felt like over-sharing. All told, the HHH was the most impactful ride I've had all year and I'm looking forward to tackling beating it next year.

canklecat

70 miles is respectable, especially in that heat and wind. All my friends who participated this year said the final 25% of the ride was hard, whether they rode the full 100 miles or the shorter routes.

Although I check my BP and HR with a wrist cuff during indoor trainer sessions, I've never used monitors on road rides. I just ride according to how I feel. Usually my average speed is pretty much the same on my familiar routes, but I'm energized after some rides and exhausted after others. Last night I could barely walk inside after my usual 20-30 mile ride. I should have eased back about 5%-10%, but I made the mistake of watching my bike computer rather than paying attention to what my body was trying to tell me.

TXCiclista